Based on the book of the same name, this presentation examines the traditional assumptions behind school design (TTWWADI - That's The Way We've Always Done It) and considers why TTWWADI will not work in the New Digital Landscape. It then examines the traditional industrial age high school and assesses its characteristics using a graphics equalizer with 20 measures:

• Focus on teaching versus learning
  
• Focus on group versus individual teaching and learning
  
• Focus on traditional teaching versus digital learning
  
• Focus on traditional versus 21st-century thinking skills
  
• Assessment
  
• Learning focus
  
• Instructional organization
  
• Application of learning
  
• Responsibility for learning
  
• Time related to school year
  
• Time related to school day
  
• Student support structures
  
• Student learning spaces
  
• Spatial flexibility
  
• Scalability of school size
  
• Course offerings
  
• Extracurricular activities
  
• Costs - staff
  
• Costs - facilities

The presentation then examines 10 models for high school design that explore varied combinations of instruction, technology, time, architecture and costs.  These model schools include:

• Academies
  
• Instructional Centers
  
• Academic Focus
  
• Learning labs
  
• Self-directed Learning
  
• Tlme - Less + More schools
  
• Individualized Instruction schools
  
• Cyber schools now and in the future
  
• Diverse Learning Communities on a Campus
  
• Diverse High Schools in a District

Each of these differentiated models is examined relative to these same 20 elements and illustrated via a graphic equalizer. Questions conclude the description of each model asking the reader to reflect on their own school relative to the teaching and learning environment delineated.

Presentation type: Keynote, breakout, interactive workshop
Theme: Teaching, Learning, Assessment, Future of Schools
Audience: General
Duration: One to five hours

NEW SEPTEMBER 2009

In the creation of new schools and the reconsideration of existing schools, we very often start with assumptions about the most important aspects of schooling and proceed directly to haggling over details.  We assume that the school will have classrooms 'owned' by teachers, that each teacher and classroom will be focused on a single subject, that we will teach classes (vs. individuals) in those classrooms, that the school year and day will be fixed and meted out in regular periods marked by bells, that teachers will be the ultimate source for content, that learning will be measured by tests, grades and time---AND that technology will at best complement all these assumptions.

TTWWADI (That's The Way We've Always Done It) is a truly powerful force that shapes our thinking, and our vocabulary is a shortcut by which we apply TTWWADI to our work. The words we use to describe our schools are loaded with meanings about the relationships between teaching/learning, technology, time, facilities, costs, curriculum, attendance zones, parity, teachers, classes, counselors, lockers, etc.  When we use these terms without digging into all that they imply, we limit our ability to find new ways to teach and learn, and to realize the full potential of technology to advance and transform education.

The objective of the presentation is to explore many of the terms most commonly used in education with the intention of making it easier for us to create schooling that is really suited for the needs of students in the 21st century.  Our intent is not to give participants new or expanded definitions for these terms, but to help them to reflect upon, sort out and challenge all the meanings these words have and to find new ways for teaching and learning.

By now, most people have realized that the world is no longer the stable and predictable place that it once even just a few short years ago. There are many who say that the changes in the next 5 years will absolutely dwarf those of the last 50 years.

What impact will this changing world have on education? What will learning look like? How will learning be assessed? What skills in learners and educators will be most highly valued? And how can educators design effective learning environments in a world of accelerating change?

By taking a time machine 13 years into the future, this presentation explores the shift in curriculum and thinking that will be necessary to equip learners for success in the 21st century, and identifies what this signifies for education and educators. In a time when the primary focus increasingly seems to be on accountability, standards and high stakes testing, how can schools prepare students to be effective learners and educators to be more effective teachers in a fundamentally different world than the one we grew up in?

Participants should come prepared to have many of their present assumptions about education challenged. Counseling will be provided. This presentation is based on the award-winning book, Windows on the Future, written by Ted McCain & Ian Jukes and published by Corwin Press.

Presentation type: Keynote, breakout, interactive workshop
Theme: Educational Trends, Leadership and Vision
Audience: General
Duration: One to five hours

UPDATED SEPTEMBER 2009

Are you feeling overwhelmed with the challenge of change? Are you or your organization spinning your tires? Are you convinced that you'll never be able to help move your colleagues or institution from here to there? Why is it so difficult to change personal habits, to modify long-standing professional practices, or to help individuals and organizations beyond a fixation with the here and now? And how in the world can we possibly address the future needs of our children if we can't even get ourselves out of first gear?

This entertaining presentation explains, in very simple terms, why as individuals, so many of us are white-knuckled about change. It then outlines five practical strategies that you can use to jump-start the process of getting you and your organization beyond your existing paradigm of life to where you and they need to be. Whether you're inside or outside education, whether you're early on in your career or already counting down to retirement, if you are frustrated with the challenge of facilitating change on a personal or professional level, this session is definitely for you.

Presentation type: Keynote, breakout, workshop
Theme: Future Visioning, Change in the Workplace
Audience: General
Duration: One to three hours
Handout: Change is Hard, You Go First

UPDATED DECEMBER 2008

The great American philosopher Yogi Berra once said, "If you don't know where you're going, you'll probably end up somewhere else". Twenty years and close to a hundred and twenty billion dollars on, we still seem to be making it up as we go. Large scale spending for technology has had little impact for measurable student results.

This session is designed to help educational leaders and decision-makers wade through the complexities of technology planning. The presentation outlines a simple yet comprehensive 10-point strategy of alignment that will ensure that technology initiatives are effectively linked and aligned with instructional goals. Participants will come away from this presentation with a clear understanding of how to address state standards, improve test scores, meet their curricular requirements, provide relevant staff development, and provide measurable accountability for expenditures, while at the same time ensuring that students are effectively prepared with the skills and knowledge they will need to cope with the new realities of the 21st Century.

Presentation type: Keynote, breakout, workshop
Theme: Leadership and Vision, Planning and Implementation
Audience: General
Duration: One to five hours
Handout: Getting It Right

UPDATED NOVEMBER 2008

Making presentations with electronic tools like PowerPoint and Keynote have gone from being a novelty to a necessity in a few short years. Today, a great many people in a wide range of fields are using these tools to educate, inform,  persuade, and sell. However, presenters are often disappointed with the response to their efforts. Unfortunately, there is much more to creating an effective presentation than just learning how to use the software or knowing your subject.

This presentation focuses on the other skills you need to make great presentations. There are lots of people who can teach you how to use presentation software. This workshop will teach you how to communicate your message. The workshop is intensive and hands-off.

Participants will be provided with an overview of all of the technical and conceptual elements that will allow them to design, deliver, and critique powerful electronic presentations.

The elements of this workshop will include the following:

• doing the research
  
• understanding your audience
  
• preparing the elements of the presentation
  
• sequencing ideas
  
• utilizing the principles of graphical design for effective communication
  
• preparing yourself for presentations
  
• organizing the presentation area for greatest impact
  
• the technical elements for delivering powerful presentations
  
• using emotional language
  
• how to reveal yourself
  
• the power of humor
  
• moving an audience to action
  
• managing an audience
• analyzing your performance

Specific aspects of the workshop include principles of planning presentation before using presentation software, principles of effective presentation design, principles of graphical design and the principles of presentation delivery.

This workshop is not about how to use PowerPoint or Keynote. It's about how to design powerful and persuasive presentations in order to communicate effectively with a wide variety of audiences for a wide range of purposes.

Presentation type: Workshop
Theme: Effective Communications Strategies
Audience: General
Duration: Five hours to three days
Handout: Creating Powerful Presentations

UPDATED FEBRUARY 2008